


Murderer

by Cormag_Ravenstaff



Category: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 12:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4522599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cormag_Ravenstaff/pseuds/Cormag_Ravenstaff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renault was a murderer. It was all he'd ever known, and all he'd ever be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Solitude Interrupted

**Author's Note:**

> Mirrored from my FFnet account.

Renault yawned as he sat up from his bed. Something had awoken him.

The bishop got off his bed in the ruins he currently resided in. His pilgrimage had led him to Valor, of The Dread Isle as it was more commonly known as.

_What could this racket be?_

Grabbing his Divine tome and his Fortify staff, Renault walked toward the doorway that led outside. As he glanced outside, the bright sun making it hard to see, he made out the shape of a person.

It was a Monk of the Church of Saint Elimine, at least the robes led Renault to believe he was a Monk. He had very feminine attributes.

And he was bleeding.

Renault held his staff aloft calmly and began chanting inaudibly. The bishop felt the magic leave the staff as he opened his eyes to see the Monk's wounds heal.

Renault bent down next to him as the man stirred. The blond haired man's eyes opened slowly, "…Where?"

"You were wounded child, and I healed you. How are you feeling?" Renault said.

"I feel much better, thank you…" the Monk said, but immediately after a tremor passed through his body.

"My goodness..." Renault said.

"Y-yes?" the Monk said worriedly.

"Your face...you don't look so well. Are you still hurt? Let me take a look," the bishop said, concerned.

The Monk shook his head, "No...please don't. I have a...condition... This is just a...passing attack. It will soon...disappear..."

"What is this illness? Should you even be fighting?" Renault asked as he gestured to the sounds of battle outside of the ruins.

"My bishop told me that it was a sickness of the soul... But it's gotten much better," the Monk said with certainty.

"Of…the soul?" Renault said curiously.

"Yes... I offer relief to those who hurt inside as a Monk, and yet, I, too, am...afflicted... I strive daily to overcome this curse... ...but still I am weak," he said downcast.

"Sicknesses of the soul are the most difficult to heal... ...But please do not blame yourself for this... Doing so could even aggravate your condition..." Renault said.

_Was I like this too back then?_

"Th-Thank you. ...Your words...have brought me some peace," the Monk said, and indeed he did look somewhat better.

"So...what is your name?" Renault asked.

"I am Lucius," the Monk said.

"Well met Brother Lucius, I am Bishop Renault," the old man said.

"You're a bishop? Your Excellency, I must apologize for my rudeness-"

Renault held up a hand to stop him, "Lucius, there is no need to apologize. Nor is there any need to stand on ceremony with me."

"But, you're a bishop of Elimine!" Lucius exclaimed.

Not wanting to get into the subject, Renault changed the topic, "Brother Lucius, why are you fighting here?"

"I'm fighting alongside my friends in Lord Eliwood's army. There's a madman on this island that must be stopped," Lucius said.

"Madman?" Renault said, puzzled.

"His name is Nergal, and he killed Lord Eliwood's father," Lucius explained.

Renault froze. He knew that name. In all his long years, he had forgotten many things, his family, his old life, all but one of his friends, but he had always remembered Nergal.

"Your…Excellency?" Lucius said quietly noticing the change in Renault.

"Brother Lucius…would your army have one more spot for an old bishop?" Renault said quietly.

Lucius' eyes widened, "Your Excellency, you mustn't think you need to fight with us!"

Renault shook his head, "This Nergal must be stopped. And it is ever so noisy here, helping you and your friends defeat him may bring me the solitude I desire."

Lucius nodded, "If that is what you wish for, Your Excellency, then I can't argue it."

Renault stood back up and brushed any dirt off his robes, "I am a man of the cloth Lucius, but do not presume to think I cannot handle myself in battle. Now lead the way to wherever you were headed when you were injured."

Lucius nodded in consent, and began to walk out of the ruins, the tall old bishop following behind him. The two men of Elimine walked in silence for a long time.

Suddenly an arrow streaked past Renault's ear, almost burying itself into his skull!

A Sniper and a Hero sprung from the bushes, each had their weapons ready.

Before he knew what he was doing, Renault's instincts took over. He held his staff up and the orb at the end of the staff glowed with light magic as he quietly and quickly chanted the incantation for the spell. He felt the thrill of battle rise within him, the bloodlust that he had sought to destroy, and forget.

Renault pointed the end of his staff at the Sniper and a beam of intense light magic shot from within the staff at the Sniper. It struck the man with such force it ripped a hole in the Sniper as he fell over, dead.

_Murderer…_

Renault froze as he saw the blood dripping from the corpse. He could feel the monster of a man trying to get free in his mind. The monster that killed thousands for a master that betrayed him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lucius finish off the Hero with his own light magic. But Renault paid it no mind as he walked toward the man he'd killed. The bishop needed to remember this for the future, he needed to remember this feeling of horror and revulsion, so as to never forget it.

The old man stared into the cold golden eyes of the man who Renault realized was a morph. The pale skin, the black hair, the golden eyes…this was what Renault could have been.

This was what Renault was.

He turned away sharply, not wanting to resurface memories he'd buried so long ago.

"Your Excellency?" Lucius asked nervously.

Renault blinked, bringing himself out of his trance and back to the present. "You've been fighting Morphs for a while now I suppose?" he said, already knowing the answer.

Lucius nodded, then said, "How have you heard of Morphs before, Your Excellency?"

Renault blinked, realizing his mistake, "I…it is a long story Brother Lucius, one that I would prefer not to dwell into."

Lucius nodded, "I understand Your Excellency."

Renault silently thanked Saint Elimine for the Monk's understanding. And with that, they continued on without interruption.

They arrived at where the rest of the army resided currently, battle worn and tired.

"Lucius!"

Renault turned to see a fancily dressed man with red hair accompanied by a large man with blue hair and heavy armor.

"I hope you fared well in battle today, Lord Eliwood," Lucius said with a smile.

"Who're you?" the blue haired man asked Renault rudely.

"Hector!" Eliwood scolded. He turned back to Renault, "Forgive him for his rudeness Your Excellency, he was likely dropped on the ground as a child."

"Hey!" said Hector as Eliwood laughed.

_They remind me of him…_

Renault spoke, "Forgive me, my lords, but you wouldn't mind letting this old bishop tag along for the duration of your mission, would you?"

Lord Eliwood shook his head, "It's no trouble at all! We could always use more healers."

"My lord, His Excellency is also an adept light magic user," Lucius said.

Lord Eliwood nodded, "Alright, welcome to the army…what did you say your name was?"

"I am Renault," said the bishop.

The two Lords nodded and went back to whatever they had been doing before Renault and Lucius' arrival.

Soon, Lucius bid farewell to Renault in order to look for someone named Lord Raymond. And Renault was alone.

But he was accustomed to being along. He'd spent centuries without the company of friends.

"Bishop Renault!" yelled a voice.

Renault turned around, wondering who could be calling his name. A huge man in silver armor was walking towards him. A huge  _bald_  man.

"Yes, Sir knight?" Renault said, puzzled.

"Oh right, my name is Wallace, knight of Caelin!" the big man said with a booming laugh.

While Renault's expression remained the same, he stared in shock. THIS was Wallace, the small kid he once had known who'd been a young squire years and years ago?

"May Elimine bless you, Sir Wallace," Renault said in an even tone, not betraying anything. The long years gave him plenty of time to develop his unreadable expression.

"Hmm…" Wallace looked at him intently. "It couldn't be…but you look just like him…"

"What is it?" Renault asked.

"It is not possible. No...surely not... Forgive me, Bishop Renault... You just look so much like him... You could be the very image of a man I knew... But he'd be much older than you are now," Wallace said wistfully. "The last time I saw him…was around thirty years ago. I was only around ten years old or so, in the service of the knights of Caelin. I was a squire, and believe it or not, but many of the other squires teased me for looking like a girl."

Renault let loose a small chuckle, "…Sorry, but that is quite hard to imagine."

"The man I knew was a mercenary also in the service of Caelin. Yes, and his name was also Renault. Renault the Impervious, they called him. He had no fear of death, and his bravery was well known. Did you know him?" Wallace asked Renault. The bishop shook his head slowly and Wallace continued on, "I learned much about fighting from him... I owed him a great debt as my teacher... I wanted to meet him once more time in my life."

"Why?" Renault asked simply.

"I made a promise to him when I was young. I told him I would fight always for the sake of the people. I told him I would never use the skills he taught me for evil. I want to tell him that I have kept this promise... But...surely he is long dead," Wallace cast a glance at Renault who had begun looking off into the distance.

_Such a cruel curse you have given me Nergal, never aging. I'll always be inhuman._

"Bishop Renault, are you alright?" Wallace asked.

Renault nodded and said, "Yes."

"You know... It is somewhat strange, but... though we've only just met, I feel as though I've known you for quite some time. I feel we could be good friends," Wallace said with certainty.

"It would be an honor," said Renault truthfully.

"I wish we had met sooner Bishop Renault, for our journey is almost at an end and then we will no longer fight together…" Wallace trailed off.

"Keep your guard up, Wallace. Victory is not ours yet," Renault said.

"Aahahaha! He said the exact same thing to me once! How could I forget! His teachings are all engraved on my heart!" Wallace laughed, his voice booming.

_Worry not Wallace…you were not the only one who forgot._

"Wallace. Would you still like to see him again?" Renault said curiously.

"Of course! But...it feels less urgent now. Having met you, Bishop Renault... It has given me the feeling that perhaps... He has been watching me from heaven..." Wallace said, his voice growing quieter.

"Perhaps…" Renault said.

"I must thank you, Your Excellency," Wallace said.

"But I have done nothing, really. Let us go now," Renault said. "We have much to do before we can begin to think of the end."

Wallace nodded and departed. Renault stood in the same spot for a long time.

_I guess…I did some good in this world…_


	2. Useless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this fic's canon, Eliwood's posse fought Jerme, not Kenneth. Kenneth struck me as a guy who'd follow Nergal without being a Morph.

Renault woke with the sunrise, as he was accustomed to. Century old habits were hard to break.

He left the tent he'd been assigned to with his only possessions, his clothes, staff and spell book. Silently saying the prayers he was used to saying every day, he watched the sunrise.

"Pardon me. You are an Eliminean bishop, are you not?" came a quiet voice from behind him.

Renault spun on the spot and instinctively tensed. Seeing a blue haired woman, he lowered his guard, "Ehh... Yes... I suppose."

"How is that you came to join our company? I heard that you spent some time on the Dread Isle... Was it one of Elimine's missions?" she said curiously. "My name is Isadora," she added after a moment.

" Ahh... Sort of... I guess," Renault shrugged.

" ...? I may not be the most pious of souls, but I am a believer in the teachings of Elimine. It is an honor to protect one of her bishops!" Isadora said with pride.

" I'm sorry, but... I don't think I'm worthy of being called a bishop. Long ago, I was a mercenary. I led a bloody, thoughtless life, unconnected to the holy teachings," Renault said. Memories slowly came back to him. Renault killing. Renault destroying. Renault watching his best friend die.

_Murderer…_

"Is that so? And then...what brought you to the light of Elimine?" Isadora said curiously.

"I...lost a friend. A man I could have called brother. But when he died, I knew nothing of prayers, of forgiveness. I only knew how to bash another man's skull... So I cast aside my weapons and knelt for the first time... to mourn my fallen friend," Renault said, trying his hardest to keep the tears out of his eyes.

Isadora did not notice, "Bishop, may I have a moment?"

"Mm..."

"Will you hear my sins? It has been a...very long time since my last confession," she said embarrassed.

"Confession... I am not so good at these priestly matters," he said.

"Please, do this for me..." she begged.

"...Very well. If all I must do is listen... I do not mind," Renault said reluctantly.

"Your Excellency... I was born as the youngest daughter of a country nobleman. I wanted to become a knight from my earliest childhood, so I spent many long, bitter hours in training... I hoped to someday protect my country proudly... But... There was one thing for which I was not prepared... To protect, one must do battle with one's enemies... And to do battle with one's enemies, one must...strike...those enemies," she said slowly.

Renault said nothing.

"I have taken many lives in battle before now... For justice, for peace, for my lord, and for my country... I have fought all this time as a brave knight."

" And do you regret this choice?" Renault asked.

"No, I... I think we fight for the right reasons... However...at times, I grow uneasy. I grow sorrowful for the lives cut short on the end of my blade," she said.

Renault said nothing.

"Your Excellency... Am I wrong for feeling this way? What should I do?" Isadora asked.

"..." Renault didn't speak.

"Bishop..." Isadora said cautiously, looking Renault in the eye.

"Forgive me. I am a fraud. I can offer you no solace," Renault looked at the ground, not meeting her gaze. "You're better off seeing someone else of the cloth, you deserve better than a murderer like me." And with that, Renault walked away, whatever peace he felt was gone. Violent memories plagued his mind _._

_Murderer…_

Renault walked back to his tent. There were still a few hours before Tactician Colby had announced they'd need to move out.

Upon entering his tent, Renault set his staff and tome down and lay upon the bed, trying to banish the horrible memories with sleep.

He was unsuccessful.

* * *

"Your Excellency?"

Renault's eyes snapped open. He hadn't slept at all, but it wasn't like he needed sleep any more. Nergal had seen to that with his experiments.

"Lucius?" Renault said.

"Yes Your Excellency?" he asked.

"You look much better. Have you...recovered some?" Renault inquired.

"Yes. I took your words to heart, so to speak... Thank you," Lucius smiled.

"Ah, good. Then you will overcome it in no time," Renault said, relief sweeping over him. At least some good had come of this day.

"...How I wish that could..." Lucius said wistfully.

"You said the blemish lies on your soul? Speak of it to me, child," Renault said, genuinely curious.

"I... I grew up in an orphanage... and I faced much grief in that place... Poverty and despair can eat one's very soul... There was one teacher there who was particularly cruel to me... Even now... I pray that this evil man might be led away from darkness..." Lucius said, his hands quivering.

"I see... ...and were you there from birth?" Renault asked.

"No, Your Excellency. ...I remember living with my mother and father until the age of three," he said, his expression mixed with happiness and sadness.

"And why did you go to the orphanage?" the bishop said.

"Our house...was invaded by a thief. My father was a famous mercenary, but the man was too strong. I saw my father fall before me. I recall it sometimes, even now... The eyes of the thief who killed him. ...Like terrible dark stones set in his hate-filled face... All he left behind was this dagger protruding from my father's chest," Lucius said, his voice shaking.

Renault froze , realization falling upon him.

Lucius continued on, not noticing, "After my father's death, my mother fell ill... ...I was alone. In a cruel twist, this dagger is all I have of my father... ...Bishop Renault? What is it!? Your face is bright red!"

"Excuse me..." Renault muttered as he began to leave.

"Of course..." Lucius said with uncertainty.

_Oh Kishuna… if you could see me now…how you would look away with disgust._

_Murderer…_

* * *

Renault stood outside Dragon's Gate looking at the huge structure with wonder.

_Even after centuries I still can be amazed…_

Renault glimpsed Isadora not too far from him. He walked over to her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Your Excellency?" Isadora asked curiously.

"You don't look well... We can't have you die here. Try thinking about your village..." Renault advised.

"I shall..." she nodded and began to look better than before.

"... Isadora?" Renault said slowly.

"Y-Yes? What is it?" she said.

"About earlier... I may be a poor preacher, but please listen to me now..." Renault said with hesitation.

"Of course. What have you to tell me?" she said.

"You asked me what you should do. If I could give you one direction, one step along the path... It would be...to let yourself be lost," he said softly.

"Lost?" she inquired.

"Forgiving your sins is a small task for a bishop... And if that were enough to save you, I would recite the words. But you suffer... and you seek answers..." he said, looking at her now.

Isadora said nothing.

"And that is the greatest pain of all... The pain of doubt. If I dispelled this doubt, I could free you from your pain. But then you should be nothing more than a puppet that kills. Use your doubt. Use it to become something more. I think it makes you...human," Renault looked her right in the eyes now.

"Bishop Renault..." she started.

"Whether you will ever find answers, I do not know. But you must live with your doubt until then. If you can, then all of the joy and sorrow you experience... will truly belong to you," Renault turned away, but did not leave.

"Your Excellency..."

"I have lived this way since I found myself... Some are sustained by faith, but for me, there are no answers," he said quietly, more to himself than to her, and with that he left her to go stand alone.

Tactician Colby stood up on some rocks, a pink haired cleric holding his hand. "Alright, it's time," his voice echoed around the small army.

The group of soldiers headed into the Gate. Renault glimpsed a man that looked like Archsage Athos, but that couldn't be, could it?

Nergal had known the Archsage. Renault knew that much.

_He has a much right to this fight as I do then._

Once inside, Renault found himself and the others staring at eight Morphs. Only they were too…unique to be normal Morphs. And one of them was human.

_What is a human doing here?_

Suddenly, a large number of Morphs were warped in. Now the Morphs were only slightly outnumbered by Lord Eliwood's force.

"Are you ready, Your Excellency?" Lucius asked him.

Renault nodded and set his sights on the human Bishop among the Morphs. The man intrigued him, who was he? A human serving Nergal? A Morph gone wrong? Elimine forbid, was he like Renault?

Lord Eliwood raised his massive sword, Durandal in the air and yelled, "Attack!"

Renault held up his staff and began to chant, he felt the familiar feeling, yet still unnerving, of light magic condensing into his staff. Renault pointed his staff at the nearest Morph and pierced him with light magic.

_Murderer…_

"Elimine, save me," he muttered with disgust of the bloodshed. He'd seen enough for a hundred lifetimes.

Though it wasn't as though Morphs were human after all, so he supposed he could withstand it.

Renault maneuvered himself so he was facing the enemy Bishop. Raising his staff in case of an attack, Renault asked commandingly, "Why do you serve him? What makes you fight for Nergal?"

The Bishop smirked arrogantly, "Hmph, you wouldn't understand, Eliminean Bishop. Nergal is god, not your accursed Saint. He will bring Dragons back and be far more powerful than the Eight Legends ever were!" The man cackled madly.

_Is…this how I was?_

Renault looked into the Bishop's eyes and saw himself. A younger self who was dedicated to getting revenge and bringing his best friend back. A man who didn't care of anything but himself and his goals. A man who served Nergal with absolute loyalty.

Renault clenched his fist, this was who he was back then. And it disgusted the Bishop.

"I pray the Saint does not deem you worthy of Heaven, you fiend!" Renault said furiously. Faster than he ever had before, he charged up a blast of light magic and flung it at his opponent.

But his enemy was fast as well. Their attacks met, midair and negated each other. The Bishop immediately threw another blast of light magic at Renault before he could react. Renault felt it strike his left side and he gasped in pain. But only a few seconds after being wounded, it healed!

_I shall have to thank Lucius later. Elimine bless him._

The enemy Bishop seemed taken aback by the sudden healing giving Renault the upper hand. Sending several small light attacks at his enemy, Renault distracted him long enough to throw a spear of light magic into his opponent's stomach.

The man screamed, and he fell onto the ground, shaking and twitching in pain. Renault walked up to him and looked the Bishop in the eyes for a long moment, then struck him down with one final attack.

Invigorated, Renault looked around to see the rest of Lord Eliwood's force still fighting for their lives. Renault held his staff aloft and spoke a prayer to Elimine as he cast healing magic upon everyone.

The Bishop saw several heads turn in his direction nodding their thanks and resuming their fight.

Renault turned to see Nergal waiting patiently in a room ahead, the giant doors open so he could see.

_It is for this moment that I have lived..._

Renault walked quickly towards his foe, his cloth robes preventing him from running without tripping.

Once he was close enough, he said, "...Nergal, do you remember me?"

Nergal regarded him for a moment before chuckling in the way Renault had come to hate, "Hah. You are... Renault. So you're still eeking out a wretched existence?"

Renault burned with anger, "I went astray. I listened to your honeyed words... I dreamt of the impossible... the return of a lost soul. But...what you gave me was... a puppet... It was soulless...nothing more than an empty vessel!"

Nergal smirked, "Just an empty vessel... Isn't that what you wanted? You desired to bring back your dead friend. You were my experiment, and I completed my morph. I'm grateful, Renault. Thanks to you, I gained power."

"You villain... You cursed him! Your crime can never be forgiven! I will end you with my hands, in the name of Kishuna!" Renault screamed. He channeled all his hate a fury into one single magical attack and flung it at Nergal.

Nergal brushed it aside with a wave of his hand. "How weak. You're still as pathetic as when you once served me. Though I never expected you to become a man of the cloth Renault."

Renault despaired, his attack did nothing! "I found the light I had been searching for. I found my path I had been searching for." Renault shot blast after blast at Nergal, all of which did nothing.

"Why isn't it working!?" Renault said to himself angrily.

"Because you're weak, and you always will be!" Nergal shouted. He raised his hand and darkness surrounded Renault. The Bishop closed his eyes, knowing what feeling he would experience.

And he felt nothing.

Opening his eyes, he saw Lucius standing in front of him, spellbook raised.

"Your Excellency, let me help you against this blackheart!" Lucius said with confidence Renault wasn't expecting.

_Oh Brother Lucius, you wouldn't help me if you knew the truth…_

Nergal's confidence didn't waver as he merely summoned up another black magic attack. He underestimated the Monk though, as Lucius blocked the attack completely.

Nergal's eyes narrowed as he launched a barrage of attacks at Lucius, which the Monk mostly deflected or blocked. Those he didn't, Renault healed him.

Lucius his Nergal with an attack, throwing him backward a foot or two and Renault shot his own blast in attempt to help Lucius.

Nergal turned his head distractedly towards Renault. Lucius threw a beam of light magic that hit Nergal directly in the heart.

The old Druid quivered on his feet slightly, before giving a cry of rage as he tried to retaliate. But when he tried to summon his magic, Lucius denied him. And with one last attack, Lucius smite the blackhearted man down.

As he saw the man he hated above all fall to the ground, Renault felt an enormous sigh of relief pass through his body. For the first time in a long time, he smiled a true smile.

"Your Excellency?" Lucius asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Renault replied. "I'm just pleased this is over with."

Lucius nodded, agreeing with him.

Then there was a roar. Multiple roars.

Renault looked up and swore. Lucius looked at him in surprise, but that was when he saw the Dragons too. "By the Saint!" he cried out.

Renault stood up. They weren't finished with this fight yet.

But Renault was tapped out of light magic. He raised his staff and healed everyone with what remained in his Fortify staff. After it's last use, its gem at the top turned gray and no longer shown red.

"I'm tapped out," Renault said.

Lucius nodded, "I'm almost out, but we can't just sit here…"

As he was talking, two of the mighty beast fell over, dead. Wishing he could have seen what caused it, Renault started walking forward as Lord Eliwood's army engaged the Dragon.

And Renault was useless, just like he'd been when trying to save Kishuna.

_I'm nothing but a murderer…_

Renault stayed back, he knew battle well enough that he'd just get in the way.

And when the Dragon fell, Renault did not join in with the cheering.

What had he done? He was useless.


	3. Murderer

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, or Fire Emblem for that matter.

* * *

Chapter 3

Murderer

" _Kishuna!"_

" _Ren…ault, this is…not your fault."_

" _NO! I won't let you die!"_

" _Renault, these…last few years have been…the best of my life."_

" _Oh no you don't! No giving up on me!"_

" _Th…ank you."_

" _KISHUNA!"_

Renault sat bolt upright in his small bed within the tent.

_Murderer…_

"I'm nothing but a murderer…" Renault muttered to himself.

He put on his bishop attire in a vain effort to banish the dream from his mind. The worst part about nightmares was when they actually had happened in the past.

"Bishop Renault...?" came a voice from outside of his tent.

Renault stepped outside and looked at the speaker, "Lucius." He could not keep the emotion out of his voice.

"...Did I do something? Something...to...to... Have I angered you? If that were so... I would truly... Please... Forgive me..." Lucius said, getting paler by the second.

"Lucius! ...Control yourself!" Renault reached out and grabbed the man's shoulders.

"Yes... I am...sorry," Lucius nodded, regaining some of his color.

Renault mentally swore, "Ah, your affliction... ...Forgive me..."

_Murderer…_

"...Bishop Renault... Why should you...apologize? This scourge upon my soul... It is my own doing..." Lucius said bitterly.

"Do not speak... It will exhaust you," ordered the Bishop.

"...Ah... Sorry..." Lucius said before he passed out. Renault set him carefully on the ground.

"...He is asleep..." Renault took a deep breath and spoke quietly, whether to Elimine or Lucius, he did not know." Forgive me. In those days... I only thought of myself... I trespassed against many in my singular drive to regain the friend I lost...and to satiate my own...monstrous greed. I even sacrificed... the lives of others... Forgive me... Please...forgive...me..."

"I forgive you..." Lucius said, his soft tone matching Renault's.

"You-" started Renault.

"I forgive you," Lucius said firmly, slowly getting up from the ground.

"But you... You cannot know the evil I have wrought... I did it! I killed your father..." Renault cried out.

_Murderer…_

"Even so, I feel your grief, and it feels like my own..." Lucius said.

"Lucius..." began Renault before he turned and walked away.

_Nothing but a murderer. You don't deserve his forgiveness._

As Renault left, Lucius followed him.

* * *

"Your Excellency!"

Renault cursed as he turned around.

Lucius stood, slightly out of breath from keeping up with Renault's long strides. "Your Excellency, surely you're not leaving!?"

Renault didn't meet Lucius' eyes, "I'm just a murderer. I have sins to atone for, I have no place in your company."

"Bishop…no one is perfect. Not everyone in the company has a clean perfect record," Lucius said.

Renault shrugged, "Maybe so, but a useless murderer deserves solitude. I couldn't even save my best friend when he was dying."

"What happened?"

"I…he and me, we were mercenaries. Very good ones, some of the best. And of course, we were hired into a war. An assassin came after the man we were charged to protect. We stopped him, but…Kishuna took a lethal blow. There weren't any healers around, the attempt was well planned.

"Kishuna didn't make it. And I was without a friend that was a brother to me. I looked for every possible way to bring him back. And that was how I found Nergal. I  _helped_  him create Morphs . The reason he got so powerful is because of me. I'm the reason he murdered all those people.

"Eventually, Nergal betrayed me and I saw the light. That's why I turned to the faith. It offered me the only answers I desired." Renault involuntarily shuddered, he wasn't comfortable with others knowing how old he was and what he'd been through. But he felt like he could trust Lucius.

"Your Excellency…I can't imagine that happening to me…but you're not a useless murderer. You recognized the error in your ways, you turned to the faith. And you helped stop Nergal as well, that can't be ignored. Even though I don't know him…I think Kishuna would be proud," Lucius said slowly.

Renault thought for a long moment. Had he really atoned for his sins? Lucius didn't know everything he had done, but the Monk believed in him.

_Kishuna would have liked him._

That thought struck him like a thunder spell. Lucius was the man Renault had been before he became a mercenary, a believer.

"…Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I have made up for my sins. But I must leave none the less," Renault said, feeling as if a huge weight had shifted off his shoulders.

"Where?"

"I think I'll visit Kishuna's grave once more before heading on a new path. Could you do me a favor Lucius?" Renault asked.

"What, Your Excellency?"

"Tell Sir Wallace that his teacher is proud of him," Renault said. Confusion crossed Lucius' eyes, but he nodded.

"I am sorry for having ruined your childhood, Lucius. I wish there was something I could do but…" Renault trailed off.

Lucius shook his head, "I forgive you Bishop Renault, and don't forget that."

Renault nodded, then turned his back on Lucius and walked away into the sunset.

No longer was he a murderer.

Nor was he a burdened Bishop any longer.

_**Fin** _


End file.
